


Home

by bellamouse16



Category: Naruto
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Asuma's sister, F/M, Forbidden Love, Love Story, Original Female Character - Freeform, Runaway, Sister - Freeform, feudal lord, original female character - sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 03:04:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12202620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellamouse16/pseuds/bellamouse16
Summary: Asuma' sister, Aya, is relatively unknown to the people of Konoha.  Shikamaru knows little about her until he meets her one day at Asuma's home.  He soon discovers the truth about who she is and why she seems so unhappy.  Will Shikamaru and Aya follow their hearts?





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This is pretty much fluffy angst, which I love to write. If you've read my other stories, you'll probably enjoy this. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this.

Shikamaru nodded as Asuma spoke, but his eyes couldn’t help but stray from his sensei and their game of shogi.  Her long black hair billowed around her shoulders in thick waves.  Her kimono was long and white with soft red flowers.  For a moment, he was lost as to who she was, but then he remembered the countless rumors he’d heard.  Every time she passed by in the village, whispers shrouded her.  She was secretly an ANBU.  Or maybe she was a jonin and not many knew.  Some said she was being kept a secret by the third Hokage.  Shikamaru was soon to discover none of these were true.  There was little anyone really knew about her.  Her name was Aya and she was four years older than Shikamaru’s sixteen years.  Asuma sensed he’d lost the younger ninja’s attention and glanced behind himself to see his sister.  He gave a short wave, leading to her walking over.

“Shikamaru, I don’t think you two have met.  This is my younger sister Aya.”

“Oh, uh, hello.”

 “Hello,” Aya said with a tight smile.  “Asuma, we need to talk when you get a chance.”

Asuma watched his sister’s smile fade.  He nodded and sent Shikamaru off, promising to meet the next day.  As Shikamaru walked away, he glanced back to see Aya watching him walk away.  Her dark eyes following his every movement. 

The next day, Asuma sat across from Shikamaru, quickly losing their second game of shogi.  Shikamaru hesitated to ask if something was amiss until he noticed Asuma sigh and rub his face wearily. 

“What’s wrong Asuma?”

“My sister Aya.  A while ago, our father and the elders decided it was for the village’s best to place her in an arranged marriage.”

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.  He knew arrange marriages had been known to happen, but they were typically between feudal families.  Considering Aya and her family name though, it made slight sense.  She was beautiful and came from a well- known shinobi family.  But why was Asuma stressing so much?

“Does she not want to?”

Asuma began retelling the situation, one only few were privy to.  He felt he could confide in his student, and it certainly helped to have a fresh point of view on the situation and it might help him focus more.  From a young age, a feudal lord had expressed his desire for Aya to marry his son.  Seeing the request as an opportunity, the elders convinced the Third this was a good opportunity for his daughter and not just the village.  And so Aya was promised to the lord’s son, who was about eight years older than Aya.  The feudal lord had one request, and that was for Aya to not become a shinobi.  The feudal lord had little trust for shinobis.  Officially, she didn’t.  Unofficially, she was highly skilled, enough to be a jonin.  Few knew the truth about her.  Most just saw her as the Third’s quiet daughter. 

“I know she doesn’t want to marry him, but she believes it’s our father’s wishes.”

Shikamaru nodded.

“It’s a drag, but I don’t think the Third would want her to do something that would make her unhappy, even if it will help the village’s relationship with them.”

Asuma could never get over how smart Shikamaru was.  He shook his head.  Asuma could only hope Aya would soon see things this way.

Shikamaru went out by the river to watch some clouds.  He’d planned on just lying there for an hour or so, but his plans were interrupted when he spotted Aya staring at the sky.  Her face was streaked with tears and Shikamaru almost didn’t go near her until she spotted him. 

“Shikamaru.”

She quickly looked away, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve.  Although Shikamaru thought crying was quite troublesome, he made his way over.

“Are you alright, Aya-sama?”

She huffed out laughter.

“Please, just Aya.”

They sat there quietly until Aya spoke.

“Would you do something that you knew would make you unhappy but would help the village?”

Shikamaru instantly knew Aya was talking about the arranged marriage, but decided not to say so.

“Usually I would say yes, but women are a drag and I know whatever you’re talking about is more complex than that.”

Aya took a deep breathe before speaking.

“Before my father passed, he asked me to do him a favor.  I am to marry a future feudal lord in the Land of Wind.  I have met him…” she huffed to herself.  “He’s… insufferable.  He’s a horrid man who couldn’t care less about me, only the idea of having children from the Sarutobi clan.  Asuma has told me I don’t have to go through with it, but it was something my father wanted me to do before he passed… it seems wrong to go against he wishes.”

Shikamaru decided to say the first thing that came to his mind, something he didn’t do often.

“That’s a drag.  Don’t you think he’d want what would make you happy?”

Aya looked at Shikamaru with gleaming eyes. 

“Really?”

Shikamaru shrugged.

“If you’re not sure though, think about it.  It’s not as if you have to decide this moment.”

Aya nodded.  The two sat there quietly, watching the clouds pass by.

Aya walked through the village with her grocery bags in hand.  She was passing Ichiraku’s when she heard a familiar voice.

“Naruto!”

“Why’d you have to hit me, Sakura?”

A sigh drowned out Sakura’s response.

“This is such as drag.”

Aya couldn’t help but laugh a bit.  Shikamaru poked his head out.

“Aya?  I thought I heard your voice.”

Naruto and Sakura came out, wondering who Shikamaru was speaking to.  Ever since Shikamaru and Aya had met, they had spending more and more time with one another when Shikamaru wasn’t on a mission.  They had mostly spent time alone by the river or at her and Asuma’s home whenever Asuma wasn’t around.  Up until now, she hadn’t really met any of his friends or teammates. 

“Naruto, Sakura, this is Asuma’s sister, Aya.” 

Aya waved at the two ninjas. 

“Nice to meet you.”

“Oh wow, you’re pretty,” Naruto said without thinking.

Sakura slapped him on the back of his head.

“It’s nice to meet you too, is what he meant to say.”

Aya laughed.

“Well, it was nice to meet you.  I’ve got to get going.  I’ve got groceries to bring home.”

Shikamaru’s eyes flickered to his friends and then to Aya.  He swore he saw Sakura give him a look as if to tell him something, but he chose to ignore it.  Aya began to walk away.  Shikamaru stood staring until he felt something.

“See you later, guys.” 

Shikamaru ran off to catch up with Aya as Naruto gaped at him and Sakura giggled.

“He just left us!”

“Duh, moron.  He’s clearly into her!” Sakura said as they watched Shikamaru carry Aya’s bags as they walked down the road.

Shikamaru had been looking for Asuma when he found Aya perched on the porch in front of the house.  She was wrapping her thick black hair around her hand before making a fist as if she was going to rip it off her scalp.

“Aya.”

She looked up, releasing her hair.

“Shikamaru.  Asuma isn’t home.”

Shikamaru nodded but continued going to sit beside her.

“He’s with Kurenai.  He wanted to see her before your mission.”

She peaked up at Shikamaru, smirking.

“Is that why you came here?  To see me before your mission?”

Shikamaru flushed.  He’d been looking for Asuma, but only so that he might run into his sister.

“You’re such a drag.”

Aya merely smiled and leaned her head on Shikamaru’s shoulder.  His blush faded and his expression turned serious.  He shouldn’t be here. 

“Stop thinking so hard,” Aya whispered.

Shikamaru turned to look at her, only to realize how close her face was to his.  Shikamaru glanced down at Aya’s lips.  They were so tempting, lush and soft pink.  But then someone cleared their throat, breaking his train of thoughts.  Asuma stood before them with a smirk. 

“We’re leaving now, Shikamaru.  Aya, I’ll see you when we return.”

Aya glanced at Shikamaru, now slightly shy.

“We’ll talk about my decision.”

Asuma’s eyes twinkled.  They had been discussing what she would do with her future for a while now.  He hoped he was right that she had chosen a choice she didn’t even know she had until recently.  He nodded.

“I can’t wait.”

“Both of you better come home in one piece.”

They both nodded with a smile before going to meet the rest of their team.

Shikamaru could barely look Aya in the eyes the first time he saw her when they returned from the mission with Asuma’s body.  She stood there with a brimming smile waiting for them to return, but then she saw Shikamaru alone, frowning with red eyes.  Immediately, her smile fell.

“Shikamaru, where is Asuma?”

Her voice was cold.

Shikamaru stared at her, waiting for tears, but there were none.

“He was killed, Aya.”

She stared ahead off, nodding slowly.  She turned away, walking off towards the garden where she’d been when Shikamaru had first officially met her.  Her kimono flowed behind her.  When she made it to the flower bed, her knees buckled and she knelt, pressing her forehead to the ground.  Only when she felt Shikamaru leave did Aya let the tears stream down her cheeks.

“I told you to come home,” she spoke softly into the dirt. 

During Asuma’s funeral, Aya stood beside Konohomaru.  It was unnerving Shikamaru that he’d yet to see Aya cry.  After they all returned from the mission to kill Hidan and Kakazu, Shikamaru was still unnerved.  His worried seemed to be just when he was called into the Hokage’s office when they returned.  Tsunade seemed hesitant to speak at first.

“I understand you were close to Asuma’s sister, Aya Sarutobi, correct?”

“Yes.”

Tsunade sighed and looked at Shizune, whom she shared a look with.

“Aya is missing.  Since a day after you left on your mission, she was reported as missing.  Since we both know she was not officially a shinobi, she cannot be ruled a missing ninja, thus preventing us from officially going after her.”

Shikamaru couldn’t help but feel his face whiten.

“Are you saying no one can go after her?”

The way he said it, it was more of an accusation rather than a sentence.

“I’m saying I can’t justify sending any ninja on an _official_ mission to retrieve her.  But if you were to ask permission to leave the village for a few days, I would have no reason to say no considering everything.” 

Shikamaru thought about what she had suggested and nodded.  Before he was about to leave, Tsunade called him.

“You should know, the man she was promised to sent a messenger the day you left.  He requested her presence and formally asked for her hand in marriage.”

Shikamaru swallowed.  No wonder she left.

“Thank you, Tsunade-sama.”

After a week of unfruitful searching, Shikamaru returned home to the village.  When he returned, he couldn’t help but brood.  He found himself visiting Asuma’s grave.  He was there when Kurenai walked up behind him. 

“You couldn’t find her?”

Shikamaru merely shook his head. 

“Do you know where she might have gone?”

Shikamaru shook his head again, this time feeling slightly helpless.  He hated to feel helpless.  Kurenai knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“You know why she left Shikamaru.  Don’t blame yourself.”

Shikamaru nodded.  At least he wasn’t completely in the dark.

“At least she made a decision.  She can have a chance at being happy with someone.”

Even as he said that, he felt something tear a bit in his chest.  That was when Shikamaru realized something.  He wanted her to be happy with him.

A few years later, Shikamaru was heading back from a mission along with Kiba, Naruto, and Sakura.  When they were half way back, Kiba spoke up. 

"I smell something.  Someone's a few feet ahead of us."

Shikamaru, Sakura, and Naruto nodded as they continued running.  Sakura spotted her first.  She was sitting with her back to a tree, barely able to hold herself up.  Several kunai were lodged throughout her body.  Her eyes were closed.  She looked older than the last time they all saw her.  Her dark hair was still long, but her skin looked tanner and there was a long scar running down the left side of her face and through her eye.  She was still as beautiful as ever.  "Aya..." Sakura whispered.  Shikamaru was beside her in a flash, picking her up and placing her on his back. 

"What happened to her?" Naruto wondered aloud.

They all eyed Shikamaru wearily.  Shikamaru had used up most of his chakra on the mission. 

"If you want one of us to hold her..." Kiba offered.

"No," Shikamaru quickly him off.  "I've got her."

Kiba nodded in understanding and they were off again. 

Aya woke up in the hospital in the Hidden Leaf Village.  She groaned as her eyes opened and attempted to sit up when someone's hand reached out to push her gently back down on the bed.  Her eyes widened when she saw the man attached to said hand. 

"Shikamaru?  How am I here?  What happened?"

"We found you injured on our way home from a mission.  You were practically dead."

Aya nodded and studied Shikamaru. He looked the same for the most part.  Although he did look older.  His shoulders looked a touch broader and he was taller.  They were both quiet, debating who should speak up first.  There was a lot to be said, time that needed to be accounted for.  

"Where did you go?"

"Here and there.  There was never a specific destination.  I just wanted to leave."

Shikamaru didn't want to sound whiny but he couldn't help but ask his next question.  

"Why? Why did you need to leave _me_?"

Aya's eyes widened a fraction.

"I didn't want to.  I felt so alone after you left.   Asuma was gone and I was still supposed to be married off.  The online Asuma, the elders weren't going to let me off so easily."

"They we're going to make you?"

"The second they heard I received the letter from the feudal lord, they began planning.  I specifically told them I had no intention of marrying him and do you know what they told me?  They would assign ANBU to make sure I got there and didn't leave."

Aya's voice sounded cold and bitter.  

"I wasn't going and I made sure of it.  I was never a shinobi so I wasn't a runaway."

"Lady Tsunade wasn't sure what to do.  She let me try to find you on my own since she couldn’t assign anyone to officially look for you."

Aya looked away from Shikamaru and out the window of the hospital.

"I'm not sorry I left.  But I'm sorry I left you."

Shikamaru's hand had been resting on the bed and Aya held it tightly.  

"What now?"

Shikamaru shrugged.  

"We'll go to the Hokage when they release you."

Sakura had come in shortly to check in on her and once she decided Aya was good to go, she let them leave the hospital.  They made their way to the Hokage’s office to find Kakashi sitting behind a pile of paperwork.

“Well, this is certainly a welcome distraction.”

Kakashi looked away from the paperwork and looked at Shikamaru and Aya expectantly before realizing why they were here.

“Oh yes, I asked for you to bring her here, Shikamaru, didn’t I?”

“Yes.  So…”

“Since you weren’t a ninja, you weren’t restricted to staying in Konoha.  This means you were allowed to leave the village on your own account.  Long story short, you don’t need my permission to come or go.  You’re free to do what you want.”

“I can stay in Konoha if I choose to do so?”

Shikamaru’s interest peaked when Aya said “if” she chose to stay.  Why wouldn’t she stay?

“Yes.  Now, I believe that’s all.”

Kakashi dismissed the two.  Shikamaru and Aya found themselves walking through the village until they found themselves at the river they used to meet at.

“What you said to Kakashi, about if you’ll stay…”

Aya remained quiet and looked up at the clouds.

“This village reminds me of Asuma.  I really loved my brother.  Konohomaru looks a lot like him.  I think I saw him in the village with Naruto.  He’s really taken him under his wing, hasn’t he?”

Shikamaru scoffed.

“Sure, if you mean that jutsu they’re always trying to outdo one another with.”

Aya smiled softly and continued looking up, leaving Shikamaru to guess at what she could be thinking. 

“I think I like being somewhere that was home to him.”

“It’s your home too.”

Aya turned to look at Shikamaru with a sad smile.

“Of course, but there was a while when it wasn’t.  Before that, I was never truly happy.  Having a future you detest makes you feel that way.”

Shikamaru studied her features.  They had softened a bit since when he first saw her in the woods.  Maybe it was seeing her nephew.  Or maybe it was something else.  He hoped it was the latter to some extent.

“Before he died, Asuma and I planned to talk about my future.  Do you remember that?”

Shikamaru nodded. 

“Asuma suggested I take the exams and become a ninja.”

“That’s what you were talking about?”

Aya paused for a moment.  She seemed to be hesitating to say something, but Shikamaru was determined to find out.

“What is it?  You know you can tell me.”

Aya nodded.

“You.  We were going to talk about you.”  Aya paused as she saw Shikamaru look slightly surprised.  “We were going to talk about my future.  I wanted you to be part of it.  Asuma had been trying to tell me I had more choices than I saw for myself.”

Aya took Shikamaru’s silence to be negative.  She could feel a pain in her chest, something she hadn’t felt since she heard about Asuma’s death.

“Forget it.  I shouldn’t have said anything.  It’s been years…” Aya trailed off as she tried to stand up.

Shikamaru grabbed her hand, accidently pulling her down.  Shikamaru fell back and Aya landed on top of him, her chest pressed against his.  Shikamaru drew her face closer to his, pressing his lips against hers.  When he pulled away, Aya was out of breath, her cheeks rosy.

“I wanted to do that a long time ago.”

Shikamaru lifted Aya so she was sitting up and held himself up with his arm.

“Are going to stay here?”

Aya wrapped her arms around Shikamaru’s neck.

“I plan on making this as much my home as it was to Asuma.”

Aya leaned back in, kissing Shikamaru as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. If anyone would be interested in hearing more, like a ten- year jump, then comment because I will totally be willing and interested in writing that. I've already got a few ideas for that. As always, comments are always appreciated.


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